Early Smartphone use linked to poorer mental health in young adults: Study
A recent research study, published in the Journal of Human Development and Capabilities, found that individuals who received smartphones before the age of 13 reported poorer mental health outcomes in early adulthood.
One of the study’s lead authors, Tara Thiagarajan informed in a report by ABC News, “The younger the child gets a smartphone, the more exposure to all this impacts them psychologically and shapes the way they think and view the world.
The study analysed responses from over 100,000 individuals aged 18 to 24, who answered questions related to their mental health, including experiences of aggression, detachment, hallucinations and suicidal thoughts.
Girls who had access to smartphones at ages 5 or 6 reported higher levels of suicidal thoughts, with 48% acknowledging severe ideation, compared to 28% among those who received phones at age 13 or later.31% of boys who used phones early in their lives had these thoughts, compared to 20% of those who received phones later. The report also mentions that early phone access can result in lower self-worth, reduced emotional resilience in girls and would decreased empathy and emotional stability in boys.
Experts involved in the study cited the heightened social media use, cyberbullying, disrupted sleep patterns and strained family relationships as contributing factors, urging parents to delay smartphone access until children are at least 14 years old and advised them to engage in discussions around responsible digital behaviour.
In guidance shared by the American Academy of Pediatrics, families are encouraged to adopt a framework known as the “5 C’s” to manage children’s media use: understanding the Child, assessing Content, fostering Calm, avoiding Crowding out other activities and maintaining open Communication.
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Chair hurled at Union Minister of State V. Somanna during public event in Koppal
Koppal: Tension prevailed for a brief period at Hitnal village in Koppal taluk on Monday after a chair was allegedly hurled at Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti, V. Somanna, during a public function.
The incident occurred when Somanna was attending the foundation stone–laying ceremony for a railway flyover near Hitnal village.
According to reports, a group of Congress workers expressed anger over the alleged exclusion of Koppal MP K. Rajashekar Basavaraj Hitnal and District In-charge Minister Shivaraj Tangadagi from the invitation list for the program. During the incident, a chair was reportedly thrown, but the Minister was unharmed as his security personnel intervened in time.
Following the incident, chaos ensued at the venue for some time, with protesters allegedly throwing chairs and staging a demonstration in front of Somanna’s vehicle, accusing the organisers of violating protocol.
The railway flyover project, being taken up for Rs 27 crore, connects the Hitnal–Munirabad–Ginigera stretch.
Reacting to the incident, Somanna said the project was fully funded by the Central government and denied any breach of protocol. “There was no violation of etiquette related to the programme. The disturbance was created intentionally,” he said.
